Got here on a Sunday morning at 8:30am and there was a line out the door. Didn't take more than 20 minutes to walk away with our coffee and pastries though. Lots of different merch to look at while waiting for order- coffee beans, olive oil, delicious looking bagged cookie, biscotti, hot dog buns and kitschy toys. Pros- service was friendly , helpful and patient! Pastries were top notch. We've been hitting bakeries all over Carmel and Monterey and liked these the best. The cream bun and earl grey bun were our favorites with the cardamom bun and chocolate croissant a close second and third. The dough on all these had great layers which has been missing in a lot of the pastries we've had while bakery hopping. The sun-dried tomato and cheese scone was the best savory scone I've ever had. Coffee- I got a latte with half serving of the miso caramel bc I was worried it would be too sweet (I'm a flat white gal). It tasted perfect and went well with the sweet pastries. My family got iced lattes with the miso caramel and the tonka vanilla. They liked them but thought they were light on flavor. If fancy lad coffee is your priority then probably not the place for you lol. Cons- parking is of course challenging but same for every business around there. Seating is very limited so prob have to plan on to-go if there's a crowd. Nice that they have a few outdoor tables. We couldn't find seating for three so we dipped and crashed at a table outside a restaurant that wasn't open. read more

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Pros: - the line moves very quickly, but can get very busy! - the breakfast sandwich is just absolutely ridiculous - other pastries and breads to purchase - coffee was amazing - open window so you can see the things being made, which was so great for my toddler to see Room for improvement: - some standard breakfast items would be nice as it's not very kid friendly with all the unique, specialty foods (great for adults tho!) - customer service has room for improvement, the people aren't friendly and even the people behind the glass making food look miserable Tips: - get there early to avoid heavy lines - look at the menu and the pastries before hand as the workers assisting don't really take the time to explain anything and kind of rush you through the line - parking can be tough because it's on the main street - no modifications can be made to the food Overall: very cool, casual spot in the main part of Monterey. Excellent food and pastries and drinks! Very hip read more

Horrible customer experience. While this place has relatively good food, I went to Astra to buy olive bread and several of things for my friends while they visited the area from LA. Some long-haired guy looking like he came out of the 1960s was wearing a sleeveless-type vest (no tee shirt underneath) with his gnarly long-hairy armpits was working behind the counter. As people were ordering various items, he was reaching over the food with his bushy Sasquatch armpits. It was so disturbingly disgusting that I decided to order a coffee instead of food for fear one of his revolting hairs would land on my pastry bag . I nearly started to gag. Further, to complicate our already bad experience, was made even worse with a rude barista making our drinks didn't want us to wait for our coffees where she's making them in an already cramped tiny bakery. We were pretty confused where to wait to pick up our drinks so we just left. I think better quality of help would benefit this establishment considering the availability of talent out there. Needless to say, this was an embarrassing experience for myself and my friends forcing us to head to the Bookworks for coffee, instead. I won't be coming back to this nasty place. read more

I came here around 3:30 and since they close at 4, there's limited selection of items left. I got 2 tarts and both were delicious. The crust is flaky and not too hard. The staff was friendly, allowing me time to look at all the baked goods before deciding. The best part is that they give me a loaf of imperfect bread for free. The bakery is not too big with all the baked good counter on the left and at the center of the room is a table with there logo items for sale. There's only a few stools to sit so definitely a to go place. Overall, definitely worth coming back again. read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Imperfect loaf of bread - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

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Each bite was so good! 1. Ad Astra is my favorite bakery in Monterey. They have a wide selection and each item is done well. 2. I came right at opening and tried a cardamom bun, kouign amann, rhubarb pain suisse, pain au chocolat, and a breakfast sandwich. My favorites were the rhubarb pain suisse followed by the cardamom bun. The pastries were crispy and flavorful and I especially loved the seasonality of the pain suisse. 3. The breakfast sandwich is made to order and all the ingredients are prepped in house. I enjoyed the chimichurri flavor and the textures of the egg frittata with the fluffy milk bread bun - would absolutely get this again. read more

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They're known for their breads and pastries and it's cool to be able to watch them at work in the kitchen through the glass walls. Coffee is decent, I enjoyed my miso caramel latte. Barista is in need of customer service skills. Was bluntly told to go wait for my order somewhere else. It's a loud area so I had to ask him to repeat himself. There was no please, there was no improvement in tone, there was no indication of where exactly I was supposed to move to in the tiny shop. I went to go stand by the butter cooler and was then immediately in another customer's way. A sign on the kitchen door to not block it would be much more effective and helpful. read more

These pastries were out of this WORLD. I don't remember the exact ingredients, but I got a savory danish and some kind of berry pain suisse. The danish was my favorite. It was the perfect way to end my trip in Monterey. The line was a bit long, but they were efficient and it moved along pretty quickly. It's very nice and clean inside, and it was really cool to see inside their open kitchen! The menu probably changes a lot, but the staff is super friendly and can tell you exactly what's in each pastry. Shoutout to the cashier who we found out from a quick chat graduated from UCSB the same year as me! read more

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SO impressed by both the quality and variety of pastries. The cardamom bun is an absolute must! Friendly service, like moves quickly. Few patio seats outside and barstool seats indoors. 10/10 would come back again!! read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - butter croissant & cardamom bun - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

I absolutely love this bakery and their bread. In my opinion, they are far superior to Alta and the staff is way friendlier. I love the olive oil loaf with raspberry icing, their new concha with guava filled cream, savory scone, savory pie, and their daily sandwiches. I also really enjoy their olive loaf. It's one of the best I've had. Parking can be tricky, but it's worth the weight and usually busy on a weekend morning. The cinnamon roll is also a must try along with the kouign aman. The ambience is urban rustic. I would describe it as and has a small seating area inside and patio seating. read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Concha with guava filling - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

The pastries we got were so good and light. Picked up a few sourdough loafs because how could you not after watching them make it fresh there. read more

Got an iced matcha latte and there wasn't too much matcha, it was more milky. But the pastries are perfect! Not too sweet! read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

I'm super torn on how to rate this place. I want to give it higher stars, because it was the only bakery I could find that had a legit chocolate chip cookie. How is it, that I had to go to 3 bakeries in that little area to find one? What bakery doesn't bake chocolate chip cookies!? Any way, I'll save that rant for another day. The cookie itself was pretty good / nice chocolate bits, and sea salt on top. Tasted like a solidly homemade chocolate chip cookie. Can't say it's in my top 5, but it hit the spot. The guy behind the counter was very kind and helpful, and so I appreciate him. Solid 5 for the help and a 4 for the cookie itself. The area where I really want to lower my rating is price... if there are any bakers out there, can you tell me if the price of baking has gone up so much, that a legit chocolate chip cookie should be $5? If I had a family of 4, it would cost me $20 for cookies!? The insanity. I just don't get it. I really hope they reconsider their cookie prices. I live down south, in Orange County, one of the most expensive places to live, and I have not seen a cookie for $5. In fact, one of my favorite cookies, found in Dana Point (in my top 5) is $3 a cookie. A large cookie, baked in-house, good amount of chocolate, sea salt on top, and delicious. I know we're at war, but come on... enough with the high cookie prices!!! read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

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This place is phenomenal and truly a gem in the area. The moment you walk in, you feel like you are transported into a new place. From seeing the bread being made in the back, to seeing the various amazing pastries, to the smell. This is the place to be. They are quick, take care of you, and make sure to answer any questions you may have. It's a really nice little spot to people watch or have coffee and look outside the windows. I got the breakfast sando, which was delicious, cinnamon roll with strawberry, chocolate croissant, and a cookie. I highly recommend the sando and the croissant, way more magical than I could have imagined. read more

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This place is amazing!! We stopped here initially to get some bread for a client and ended up getting some lattes, breakfast sandwich and pastries. Their bread was amazing!! Coffee was great and the service was amazing. Definitely stop by here if you get a chance. read more

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super cool bakery and cafe in the heart of downtown monterey. loved the variety of pastries and artisanal bread. family got the salami and chicken caesar sandwiches. they enjoyed it! got a pretzel for the kids and they liked it. the grapefruit cream bun looked interesting so i got that - reminds me of the cream bread at asian bakeries. i liked the grapefruit! kouign amann was good, but wanted it crispier. bought a seeded loaf to go and that was yummy! appreciated the patio seating and that the cafe also sold merch and other grab and go items. read more

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This café was so disappointing, we were pretty upset that we spent our precious calorie budget here. There are a lot of good options in this neighborhood, and we only had time for breakfast at one place on this trip. The chocolate croissant was mediocre, way too soft and tasted like it was left over from the day before. The milk bread was also disappointing if you have ever tried an authentic Japanese milk bread. The "warm " ham and cheese sandwich was served cold and was fine. The standout was the raspberry rhubarb pan suisse, which I would definitely eat again. It's a very tiny menu, and they don't entertain modifications of any kind, including leaving sauce on the side, so don't plan to have any substantial meal here. Service is whatever, pretty ambivalent to customers and didn't really seem to enjoy what they were doing. I will try something else next time. read more

I have to say, of all my visits here, they have yet to disappoint me. I came down here on a dive trip for my husband and decided to just chill out in Monterey and decided to get myself a quality pastry which this establishments always provide. The line was long and I can see why from firsthand experience. I have now visited this place to the point where I am a fan. I do wish they have an app where they take online orders instead of me waiting in line. Quality of food:A++ Quality of service:A++ Price: $$ Comment: keep in mind, the price is a little higher than the usual pastry, but in return you get quality food read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Bread making in progress - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

AAAAAAAAAMAZING! I would honestly give it a 6/5 stars if I could. We went on a Sunday morning and there was a short line but definitely worth the wait. We ordered a sourdough loaf, 3 pastries, and a latte. All the pastries were good. The latte was decent (needed to be hotter in temp and a bolder flavor, but still good). The real winner was the sourdough bread! It's a good thing we were on vacay because it would be dangerous having this bread by home. The service was top notch and they explained the variety of their pastries. I love the vibe of the place as there is seating inside and out as well as a bar to see them work in the bakery. It was so satisfying to watch them fold the dough and get it ready to bake. The sourdough baker (my husband) was envious of how easy they make it look. The bread was seriously amazing! I can't wait to go back and get more loaves. The prices of the pastries were about $6 a piece and the loaf was $11 - so about on par with other bakeries. read more

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We came on a rainy Sunday morning, and there was a line out the door. There is minimal seating-- a few table tables outside and a few barstools inside. They were selling holiday cookie tins but $70 seemed a bit steep although the cookies were definitely gourmet looking. We got the $12 seeded sourdough and have been enjoying it at home this week either playing with butter and truffle salt, as grilled cheese, and roasted vegetable Panini-- yum! There is street parking. read more

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Always a lineup at the bakery so if you want the best selection, make sure you get here when they open. Hot tip: pre-order in advance is a good option. From what I can tell the only way to pre-order is via phone there doesn't seem to be a web-based option. Very popular bakery, and for a good reason, the bread's here are excellent. Dominated by a sourdough based variety of breads, there are other options available. read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Behind the scenes at Al Astra - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

Breakfast sandwich is the best in Monterey. The staff are all super chill. They have an Olie loaf that is a must try. Parking is not so easy to find so grab it if you see it. read more

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Good overall as far as bread goes. The croissant and chocolate croissant were good but not great. No real feel as far as the interior goes.

This is a beautiful bakery serving world class quality bread, pastry, and coffee. Unsure if the graphic tees are designed in house or not but that is also a unique offering of theirs! I like sitting at the booth looking into the large glass window watching the bakers work their magic, staring at the beautiful dough. Service is, like at all cool establishments, nonchalant and noncommittal, which is what i prefer and allows me to avoid eye contact thusly. They don't always have the same items every day so it's best to walk in without any particular pastries in mind. What is always expected is their high level of quality, that is always met. Even in the rain they still have lines. read more

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Ad Astra never fails to impress. I must stop for us every morning that we are in Monterey. We typically stop in here, grab drinks and a couple of food items and then walk a little bit farther up the hill to get a quiche and sit in the garden of the Adobe. Wonderful food, friendly smiling service, and a great viewing window for their production bakery. You can watch them making all of the delicious things you are about to enjoy, or even buy a sourdough starter and try to re-create what they do at home read more

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So good I went every day I was in town, bought an extra loaf to freeze and take home across the country for the holidays. Their take on a ham and cheese croissant -- a Reuben with Swiss -- I dream of every single day. The way the cheese gets frico-y on edges and the lamination of the dough is so perfect....I can't describe how good it is. I got one every day. The cardamom buns are fantastic too and tasted like my childhood -- and not too sweet! I bought several extra to freeze and take home for my folks too. I'd go back to Monterey just for this anytime. read more

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Every time I'm in the area I stop for their smoked salmon sandwich. Thats probably not the first thing on your mind walking in after seeing the pastries but if you're a savory person like me. It's a great filling breakfast. read more

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What a fun place! They are centrally located in a very walkable neighborhood, they sell all sorts of fun goodies in addition to their yummy pastries and coffee. We decided to get some pastries to have a picnic at the aquarium. We got some lattes with yummy flavors (tonka?? Mind blown). The pastries were very flakey and flavorful with fun ingredient combinations. Service was fairly quick, and everyone was very nice. This is definitely a hip bakery vibe, which is exactly what we were looking for. read more

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Popped in to grab some breakfast bites and a sandwich. We tried a croissant, kouign aman, chocolate chip cookie, salmon sandwich, and drinks. There was a decent line but moved fairly fast. There's a little space to eat inside but mostly a grab and go situation. Everything we tried was so good. Tasty, flaky, light, good texture, fresh, and would come back again. read more

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We tried a few of their pastries and they were all delicious. The staff was friendly and it's fun that you can watch the staff make all the baked goods through a glass window. The wait time is pretty mellow, and there is seating outside. Overall, good pastries snd worth the try! read more

I love how friendly the staff is, even if they're super busy. I enjoyed their regular croissant and a kouign aman. Both were so good! The croissant is brilliantly flaky full of crispy layers. It was buttery and light too. The kouign aman was such a great sweet treat on the go. I split it with a friend because it was pretty big for just myself. But I loved it. Highly recommend if you're in the area! read more

Upon arriving in Monterey, my first stop was Ad Astra. A friend who lived in the area highly recommended trying Ad Astra - she insisted that they make the BEST bread. Ad Astra stood out among the other bakeries downtown because instead of embracing the rustic cafe aesthetic, Ad Astra was pristine and modern-looking. The pastry case was minimal and showcased an array of croissants, cookies, and sandwiches. The sandwich options available that day included a radicchio on french baguette, smoked salmon, and roasted eggplant - which I had to order. Served between hefty slices of seeded bread, the roasted eggplant sandwich was loaded with sweet and tangy eggplant-walnut dip, roasted eggplant, fresh basil, and creamy burrata. I split the sandwich with a friend, which was the right call because the sandwich was quite filling. After we devoured our halves, we agreed that we had just eaten one of the best sandwiches ever. I ended up getting back in line for a cold brew, which was the perfect pick-me-up. While I'm still dreaming about that roasted eggplant sandwich, I'd be just as willing to try their other sandwiches and bread varieties. read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Roasted eggplant sandwich - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

My mom had heard good things about this place and was about to visit, so she asked what I wanted and I was happy to see that they had focaccia on the menu because I love it. Imagine my disappointment when I opened up the bag to find this. It was a full loaf, I will give them that, but the small chunk missing was all that I could eat from it. I didn't reheat it at all, it came out of the bag like that. I guess she should have checked it before leaving the store, but no customer should have to do that. This shouldn't have been sold. It was the worst focaccia I've ever had. The olive loaf was also pretty bad. Two stars because I don't want people to dismiss a one star review, but they kind of deserve a one star for this. read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - "Focaccia" Burnt, stale, and dry. - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

Cute bakery in Monterrey! They had a bit of a line when we got there but it moved pretty quickly. You get a direct view of the bakers working while waiting in line. They have a great selection of pastries, I got the chocolate croissant. It was perfectly sweet and flaky. read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

This cute pastry, bread and coffee shop had a wonderful variety of options on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go until Sunday afternoon and there wasn't many things left. However, what they did did have was delicious. We ordered some pastry and bread and then some beverages. They're specialty coffee is very good and service was fast and friendly. We didn't get a chance to take pictures of the pastries and bread, but they were lovely and delicious. Highly recommend. Parking is pretty easy despite it being on a main street. read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

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Had some time to kill as we were on a waitlist for a nearby eatery. Decided to stop by Ad Astra. Arrived right before the long line started to form. There were so many pastries we wanted to try but had to narrow down our choices. Hubs loves his cookies so we had to go with both the chocolate chip cookies and Earl Grey snickerdoodle - both were very good. Hubs also wanted to try the brioche and there was a babka that looked interesting. We can't remember what kind of brioche or babka we picked up but they were also yummy. The brioche was cheesy and full of flavor. I think the babka was with brown butter and poppy seeds - not too sweet and good with coffee. As a side note, got to try their sourdough at another restaurant and that was good as well. Looks like their sandwiches are also popular choices. read more

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My friend and I stopped by on our way to Carmel and were excited to try the pastries! We got the earl grey bun, savory scone and I got a sourdough loaf to take home. The earl grey bun was ok- didn't taste earl grey. The savory scone was on the drier end. I didn't realize how burnt the sourdough was until I got home.. not sure if this is normal for them since it was my first time getting sourdough from them. Pretty disappointed. read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Burnt sourdough... didnt realize until I got home! - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

These pastries were not only unique but delicious. We had their breakfast sandwich, earl grey bun, and escargot, and the pastries are worth the wait. The line wasn't too bad and took probably 20 minutes to get through but the earl grey bun tasted like earl grey and had crystallized sugar for an added texture. The breakfast sandwich was well balanced and the escargot was unique but a savory goodness that you can't get enough of read more

Ad Astra Bread Co - Bakeries Near Me - Monterey, California

everything here was so yummy! it's hard not to want to take a whole box of pastries home. We opted for the earl grey twist and another pastry I don't remember the name of but both were out of this world like nothing I've tasted anywhere. This place feels LA-y in a good way definitely will be back read more

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Their olive bread tastes amazing! I wish we live closer so I can get their bread more easily.

Absolutely delicious and well worth the morning line out the door! Was in the area and was told by a few friends that this was one of the places to visit, so added it to our schedule. Got the twice baked almond croissant, yuzu lavender cake, cream bun and custard tart. To drink: Miso Caramel Latte. Everything was simply delicious! Great flavors, awesome textures and the Latte was one of the more interesting flavors I've had in a latte. The miso gave the drink an earthy, slightly savory taste that compliments the caramel well. The staff seemed to be in great spirits, friendly and efficient in getting the line going. While I waited for my coffee, enjoyed myself sitting at the bar in front of the kitchen while the staff worked their dough. It was great entertainment! Definitely consider trying this place out if you are in Downtown Monterey! read more

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